Maternity Pay - Employed and Self Employed?

mylittleyellowduck

I currently work 3 days a week for my employer but run my own business as well. I am due to commence maternity leave in November and need to know whether I can take SMP from my employer while still earning through my own business?

Any pointers appreciated?
Emma

Becles

I'm both employed and self employed. You cannot earn anything while claiming maternity pay, without your benefit being affected. You'll lose it £ for £ and if you work too much, they will end your claim.

littleonesmum

I asked a similar question a few weeks back on here, but have since done some research and rang the Department of work and pensions and they advised the following; in the case of Maternity Allowance if you earn any earning whilst on MA the value will be deducted £ for £ from your MA payment, but in the case of Statuatory Maternity Pay, you can continue working in a secondary job, providing that you were employed by this employer prior to starting your SMP payments and your SMP will not be affected by these earnings - in fact they said you can go on SMP from the second job at any point if you wanted to. I didn't really ask any more about this as I doubt they will give you twice the amount, and I wasn't really interested as my second job is varaible work.
Maybe you could give the DWP a call too and check this out - as it would be interesting to be sure the same info given by them as I was told when I posted a similar query that it would be deucted £ for £ - the difference could be the MA / SMP . Post on here if you hear any different.
Hope this helps!!

littleonesmum

If you are getting SMP from one employer and, before your baby is born, you do some work for another employer, your SMP is not affected.
Your SMP will stop if after the baby is born but before the end of the Maternity Pay Period, you work for an employer who did not employ you in the qualifying week. It is up to you to tell the employer paying you SMP about your new job. You should do this as soon as possible, and make sure you return any SMP payment you get that covers the week you started work and any part of the period after you resumed work.
If you return to work in the MPP for the employer who is paying you SMP, you will not be paid SMP for any weeks in which you work (but see information about Keeping in Touch days if you expect your baby on or after 1 April 2007). If there are any remaining weeks in the MPP in which you do not work, you can get SMP for them. But the pay period is not extended to make up for the weeks in which you did not get SMP.

I think the first few lines may be the key -
If you are getting SMP from one employer and, before your baby is born, you do some work for another employer, your SMP is not affected.
the only confusing bit is your self employed - so that could depend on wether you pay yourself a wage or not!!

Becles

littleonesmum wrote: »

I asked a similar question a few weeks back on here, but have since done some research and rang the Department of work and pensions and they advised the following; in the case of Maternity Allowance if you earn any earning whilst on MA the value will be deducted £ for £ from your MA payment, but in the case of Statuatory Maternity Pay, you can continue working in a secondary job, providing that you were employed by this employer prior to starting your SMP payments and your SMP will not be affected by these earnings

It's definitely a loss of £ for £ for MA. That's what I'm claiming at the moment.

It's really unfair that women on SMP are allowed to work without it affecting their benefit but women on MA are not allowed to